President Dimondstein Broadcasts Our Message Far and Wide

(This article first appeared in the May/June 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

In response to the urgent crisis facing the Postal Service, President Dimondstein appeared on MSNBC, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Democracy Now! and in New York Magazine, the New York Times, Yahoo! News, In These Times, and other outlets – reaching tens of millions of viewers and readers.

President Dimondstein spoke about the essential work postal workers are providing during this crisis, the public Postal Service’s dire situation and the need to demand our Congressional representatives support it in future stimulus packages. Here are some of the highlights:

Postal Workers Showing Up During a Crisis

“In this time of pandemic, I think there is a great appreciation for what postal workers are doing. We have had deaths…Many people have been sick, and many people have been quarantined. And yet, the proud postal workers are still coming to work when they can and serving the American people the best we can.” — April 29, Democracy Now!

What the Postal Service Needs

“The Postal Service will actually run out of money, whether it’s this summer, whether it’s early fall. The revenue just isn’t there, strictly based on COVID…The Postal Board of Governors, which sets policy, and is a majority Republican board right now, has unanimously asked for robust relief, not a bailout. This is for the people of the country, this doesn’t go to any shareholders or any CEOs, but to make up that lost revenue so the Post Office can weather this crisis and at the same time continue to serve the people of the country, both in ordinary times, and in this time of crisis.” – April 29, Democracy Now!

The Importance of the Postal Service to Rural Communities

“The post office has a special place in many communities from the inner cities all the way to the most remote outpost. But in rural America, it’s often the heartbeat of the town. And if e-commerce is going to work for everybody, you have to have a national infrastructure that has to go to every address. If you’re a private company, you can have surcharges if you’re going to more of a rural area. You don’t have to go where you don’t want to go.” – April 17, New York Magazine

The President’s Hypocrisy on Raising Package Rates

“The president never told the airlines to raise the price of airplanes, or the hotels that are getting all sorts of bailouts that they should raise the rate of rooms…but when it comes to the postal service, he’s demanding a raise in rates.” – May 3, MSNBC, 684,000 viewers

The White House’s Agenda

“At the end of the day, they have an agenda. Raise prices, reduce workers' benefits and reduce services, make it appear more profitable and set it up for sale. The COVID crisis should not be used to achieve political aims.” – April 9, New York Times

The Political Strategy We Need

“[Treasury Secretary] Mnuchin’s script to Congress was that if the Post Office is in [the stimulus legislation], there will be no incentive package. We need for Congress to say to Mnuchin, if the Postal Service is not in there, then there will be no incentive packages, period, until it is. What we need now is for Congress to flip the script.” — April 17, New York Magazine

The Role of the Postal Service During a Pandemic

“In a time of crisis, how much more valuable is the Postal Service, getting medicine into people’s homes, health information, packages, financials, checks, and communication when so many people are isolated?” — April 13, MSNBC, 1.5 million viewers